Three and a half decades after Brian De Palma first brought Stephen King to the big screen with Carrie, the horror author seems to be hotter than ever. It feels like hardly a week goes by without news of yet another King adaptation project, and this week is no exception.

The newest King-inspired picture in the works is Universal Pictures’ Mercy, a fantasy horror based on his short story “Gramma.”Paranormal powerhouse Jason Blum will produce through Blumhouse Pictures, along with McG and Mary Viola. Several of the key pieces are already in place: Peter Cornwell is set to direct from a script by Matt Greenberg, with Frances O’Connor (A.I.) attached to star. More details after the jump.

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Stephen King is big movie business again. Chalk that up to the massive film and TV adaptation of his Dark Tower series that has industry players Ron Howard, Akiva Goldsman and Brian Grazer pushing it forward. Then there is the new version of The Stand, which Warner Bros. is developing, and possible new versions of Firestarter and Maximum Overdrive.

The latest new King project is a possible remake of the 1989 film Pet Sematary, which starred Fred Gwynne and his awful Maine accent in a film about dead pets and children coming back to life. Read More »

1408 screenwriter Matthew Greenberg has been hired to pen a remake of another Stephen King adaptation, Pet Sematary. Transformers/G.I. Joe/1408 producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura is attached, and the project is set up at Paramount Pictures. Aside from the previous King adaptation, Greenberg’s screenwriting credits include a bunch of subpar genre efforts: Reign of Fire, Halloween H20 and The Prophecy II. No director has been attached.